K James
2006-03-14 01:39:12 UTC
Women as second class is another myth about Islam
February 23, 2006
We must disentangle culture and religion when discussing the treatment of women, writes Nadia Jamal.
A READER once wrote to this newspaper claiming that "most Muslims are extreme misogynists, treating their women as
chattels and considering them as being of less value than their favourite camel".
Camel? Who is he calling a camel?
Not only was his claim nonsense, but it was highly offensive to Muslim women and the Muslim men who care about them.
Nevertheless, examples abound about why some people think that Muslim men treat women badly.
One is the well-publicised antisocial behaviour of some young men of Muslim faith. Another is that no woman had been
invited to an upcoming imams meeting, according to Aziza Abdel-Halim, of the Muslim Women's National Network.
The meeting, organised by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, is bringing together Muslim religious leaders
from around the country. One of the primary objectives is to establish a national register of imams, which will affect
women's lives as much as it does men's.
Following Abdel-Halim's criticism, the federation this week said women would be invited to next month's gathering as
delegates, but it could not say who would be on the list because no invitations had gone out yet.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, has expressed concern about Muslim attitudes to women, while the NSW Police Minister,
Carl Scully, has said that some men of Middle Eastern background hold "quite disgusting" views towards women.
All of this helps fuel the argument that Islam treats women as second-class citizens.
It is not necessarily so now, any more than 1400 years ago, when Islam gave women rights that were unprecedented
throughout the world.
Muslim women had spiritual equality, the right to an independent legal personality, the right to own property, the right
to choose their own husband and the right to seek a divorce.
In a recent speech that considered the historical position of women, a Sydney Muslim scholar, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad,
said the prophet Muhammad's message elevated women to a position where "she was granted her natural rights as a human
being".
This message came to societies, he said, that had previously taken pride in the birth of males and felt ashamed when a
female was born. Islam changed this.
Islam teaches that mothers must be honoured and treated with kindness and respect, he continued, that Allah (or God)
will regard with favour the men who treat their wives gently and well, and that raising a daughter is one means of
earning the grace of Allah and entry to heaven.
these sentiments, however, have not translated into the lives of many Muslim women, particularly in the home. Some
Muslims are still disappointed if they do not have a son.
So who is to blame for the misconceptions about women in Islam today, and for the unsatisfactory reality? To say it is
the fault of men or the media is tempting, but simplistic. Islam is not the problem. People have made it the problem.
As a religion, Islam promotes education and has never denied women the right to learn. In fact, the first word revealed
in the Koran is iqra (or read). This message is for all Muslims, regardless of gender and age.
But cultural practices are often confused as or mistaken for religious teachings. While there is no denying that the two
are intertwined, it is only through better education that the distinction between them can be better understood.
Many of the problems facing women in the Muslim community, such as a man's role in the home, are the same as those in
other communities.
And there is aggressive male culture in many spheres. Just yesterday the High Court judge Michael Kirby said such an
environment was keeping women out of the legal profession. This is not to say that the problem should not be tackled in
communities where it exists, only that it should also be recognised as not being unique to one group or setting.
The charity group Bayt Al-Zakat, which translates as House of the Alms, recently held an awards ceremony in Sydney for
high achieving HSC students of Muslim background. Many of the high-scoring students were girls, an exciting reality for
Muslim women.
I addressed the gathering, as an Australian woman of Islamic faith, and I told the young women that by being at the
ceremony and receiving their awards, they were helping to break down some of the stereotypes.
I also called on the men in the audience to help dispel some of the misconceptions.
We need these young men's help to improve the position of women, so that women receive the respect and rights they not
only expect in a democratic society, but which their God has revealed as inherent and eternal.
Nadia Jamal is a Herald journalist.
http://smh.com.au/news/opinion/women-as-second-class-is-another-myth-about-islam/2006/02/22/1140563858120.html?page=2
February 23, 2006
We must disentangle culture and religion when discussing the treatment of women, writes Nadia Jamal.
A READER once wrote to this newspaper claiming that "most Muslims are extreme misogynists, treating their women as
chattels and considering them as being of less value than their favourite camel".
Camel? Who is he calling a camel?
Not only was his claim nonsense, but it was highly offensive to Muslim women and the Muslim men who care about them.
Nevertheless, examples abound about why some people think that Muslim men treat women badly.
One is the well-publicised antisocial behaviour of some young men of Muslim faith. Another is that no woman had been
invited to an upcoming imams meeting, according to Aziza Abdel-Halim, of the Muslim Women's National Network.
The meeting, organised by the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, is bringing together Muslim religious leaders
from around the country. One of the primary objectives is to establish a national register of imams, which will affect
women's lives as much as it does men's.
Following Abdel-Halim's criticism, the federation this week said women would be invited to next month's gathering as
delegates, but it could not say who would be on the list because no invitations had gone out yet.
The Prime Minister, John Howard, has expressed concern about Muslim attitudes to women, while the NSW Police Minister,
Carl Scully, has said that some men of Middle Eastern background hold "quite disgusting" views towards women.
All of this helps fuel the argument that Islam treats women as second-class citizens.
It is not necessarily so now, any more than 1400 years ago, when Islam gave women rights that were unprecedented
throughout the world.
Muslim women had spiritual equality, the right to an independent legal personality, the right to own property, the right
to choose their own husband and the right to seek a divorce.
In a recent speech that considered the historical position of women, a Sydney Muslim scholar, Dr Ibrahim Abu Mohammad,
said the prophet Muhammad's message elevated women to a position where "she was granted her natural rights as a human
being".
This message came to societies, he said, that had previously taken pride in the birth of males and felt ashamed when a
female was born. Islam changed this.
Islam teaches that mothers must be honoured and treated with kindness and respect, he continued, that Allah (or God)
will regard with favour the men who treat their wives gently and well, and that raising a daughter is one means of
earning the grace of Allah and entry to heaven.
these sentiments, however, have not translated into the lives of many Muslim women, particularly in the home. Some
Muslims are still disappointed if they do not have a son.
So who is to blame for the misconceptions about women in Islam today, and for the unsatisfactory reality? To say it is
the fault of men or the media is tempting, but simplistic. Islam is not the problem. People have made it the problem.
As a religion, Islam promotes education and has never denied women the right to learn. In fact, the first word revealed
in the Koran is iqra (or read). This message is for all Muslims, regardless of gender and age.
But cultural practices are often confused as or mistaken for religious teachings. While there is no denying that the two
are intertwined, it is only through better education that the distinction between them can be better understood.
Many of the problems facing women in the Muslim community, such as a man's role in the home, are the same as those in
other communities.
And there is aggressive male culture in many spheres. Just yesterday the High Court judge Michael Kirby said such an
environment was keeping women out of the legal profession. This is not to say that the problem should not be tackled in
communities where it exists, only that it should also be recognised as not being unique to one group or setting.
The charity group Bayt Al-Zakat, which translates as House of the Alms, recently held an awards ceremony in Sydney for
high achieving HSC students of Muslim background. Many of the high-scoring students were girls, an exciting reality for
Muslim women.
I addressed the gathering, as an Australian woman of Islamic faith, and I told the young women that by being at the
ceremony and receiving their awards, they were helping to break down some of the stereotypes.
I also called on the men in the audience to help dispel some of the misconceptions.
We need these young men's help to improve the position of women, so that women receive the respect and rights they not
only expect in a democratic society, but which their God has revealed as inherent and eternal.
Nadia Jamal is a Herald journalist.
http://smh.com.au/news/opinion/women-as-second-class-is-another-myth-about-islam/2006/02/22/1140563858120.html?page=2